Grounds and maintenance employees at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Mayagüez campus, represented by the Fleurum labor federation (Federación Laborista de Empleados Universitarios del Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez), unanimously approved a strike vote at an assembly on Thursday, October 22. They cited "degrading working conditions" and economic cuts. Fleurum president Daniel Echevarría said in written statements that the vote is "not a whim" but a defense of acquired rights the university administration refuses to honor.
He said the lowest-paid workers who sustain campus operations are not defended while those in positions of trust are well paid. Fleurum joins the UPR Workers’ Union and the Hermandad de Empleados Exentos no Docentes (Heend), which have also approved strike votes. Last week Heend issued an ultimatum warning it could activate its vote at any time over the lack of action to implement its collective bargaining agreement and its Classification and Compensation Plan.
Echevarría said Mayagüez grounds and maintenance staff have gone 14 years without a raise, with most stuck at minimum wage, and that the policy of freezing positions as workers resign or retire leaves dozens uncertain because no regular positions are granted. He denounced a hostile, intimidating workplace, including selectively fabricated cases and an attempt to impose camera systems without negotiating with the union.
He also criticized the hiring of private firms for similar work, which he said damages campus infrastructure, and changes that bar newer employees from contributing to the UPR Retirement System and AEELA. He gave no start date for a possible strike.